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Non-indigenous land and freshwater gastropods in Israel

Biological Invasions volume 11, pages 1963–1972 (2009)Cite this article

Abstract

Few comprehensive works have investigated non-indigenous snails and slugs as a group. We compiled a database of non-indigenous gastropods in Israel to explore how they arrived and spread, characteristics of their introduction, and their biological traits. Fifty-two species of introduced gastropods are known from Israel (of which nine species subsequently went extinct): 19 species of freshwater snails and 33 species of terrestrial gastropods. The majority of these species are found only in human-dominated habitats. Most of those found in natural habitats are aquatic species. Most snails are introduced unintentionally from various parts of the Holoarctic region, reaching Israel as stowaways with horticultural imports and the aquarium trade, but some are brought intentionally to be used as pets or for food. Because the study of this group in Israel is very limited, information regarding their distribution in the country and their effects on other species is incomplete. Though only nine species of non-indigenous snails have been found to date in natural habitats, some of these are very abundant. More information and research is required to enable effective management schemes.

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Acknowledgments

We thank M. Algouati and Sh. Moran for valuable data and the internal university fund (Tel-Aviv University) for supporting this research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Zoology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 69978, Israel

    Uri Roll, Tamar Dayan & Henk K. Mienis

  2. Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, 37996-1610, USA

    Daniel Simberloff

Authors
  1. Uri Roll
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  2. Tamar Dayan
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  3. Daniel Simberloff
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  4. Henk K. Mienis
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Uri Roll.

Appendix 1

Appendix 1

Interceptions by inspectors of the Plant Protection and Inspection Service of the Ministry of Agriculture of land and freshwater gastropods for which no specimens have been found so far in Israel

Taxon

Family

Terrestrial/freshwater

Origin

Year

Remarks

Filopaludina martensi martensi (von Frauenfeld, 1865)

Viviparidae

Freshwater

Thailand

2005/2006

For food

Filopaludina martensi cambodjensis (Mabille & Le Mesle, 1869)

Viviparidae

Freshwater

Thailand

2006

For food

Pila ampullacea (Linnaeus, 1758)

Ampullariidae

Freshwater

Thailand

2006/2007

For food

Digoniostoma truncata (Eydoux & Souleyet, 1852)

Bithyniidae

Freshwater

Singapore/Hong Kong

Pre-1979

On aquarium plants

Ameriana carinata (H. Adams, 1861)

Planorbidae

Freshwater

Singapore/Hong Kong

Pre-1979

On aquarium plants

Gyraulus convexiusculus (Hutton, 1842)

Planorbidae

Freshwater

Singapore/Hong Kong

Pre-1979

On aquarium plants

Planorbarius corneus (Linnaeus, 1758)

Planorbidae

Freshwater

Germany

2002

On waterlilies

Planorbis planorbis planorbis (Linnaeus, 1758)

Planorbidae

Freshwater

Germany

2002

On waterlilies

Succinea putris (Linnaeus, 1758)

Succineidae

Terrestrial

Germany

2002

On waterlilies

Succinea striata (Krauss, 1848)

Succineidae

Terrestrial

South Africa

2001

Among grapes

Gittenbergia sororcula (Benoit, 1859)

Valloniidae

Terrestrial

“Netherlands” (France)

2002

On Sempervivum

Achatina achatina (Linnaeus, 1758)

Achatinidae

Terrestrial

Ghana

Nigeria

“Netherlands” (Togo)

2001

2002

2007

As “pets”

As “pets”

On Codiaeum (Croton) cuttings

Discus rotundatus (Müller, 1774)

Discidae

Terrestrial

Netherlands

2002

On Orchid

Oxychilus draparnaudi (Beck, 1837)

Oxychilidae

Terrestrial

Belgium

1986

In potplants

Limax maximus Linnaeus, 1758

Limacidae

Terrestrial

Netherlands

2007

In Bromeliacea

Arion species

Arionidae

Terrestrial

Netherlands

2001

On Sedum (specimen rotten)

Arianta arbustorum (Linnaeus, 1758)

Helicidae

Terrestrial

Estonia

2007

In peat

Cernuella cisalpina (Rossmaessler, 1837)

Hygromiidae

Terrestrial

“Cyprus”

2000

Among tomatoes

Cernuella neglecta (Draparnaud, 1805)

Hygromiidae

Terrestrial

Spain

1987

In peat

Monacha parumcincta (Menke, 1828)

Hygromiidae

Terrestrial

“Cyprus”

2000

Among tomatoes

  1. Pre-1979 identifications by the late Dr. L. Forcart (Basel), all other identifications by H. K. Mienis

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Roll, U., Dayan, T., Simberloff, D. et al. Non-indigenous land and freshwater gastropods in Israel. Biol Invasions 11, 1963–1972 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-008-9373-4

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Keywords

  • Biogeographic origin
  • Gastropods
  • Impact
  • Israel
  • Slugs
  • Snails